Blog Post #2

 The next thing I really want to research are specific motifs, symbols, or recurring themes and characters that occur while on DMT. This is crucial for my next step in my process, which would be storyboarding what I want my actual animation/story to look like. A source that I found actually has an interview with someone who has taken DMT, and dissects the different layers of what an experience feels like going in and out. Of course experiences may vary, but there are several feelings or characters that tend to pop up a lot when people discuss their personal trips. 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-beginners-guide-to-dmt-the-most-mysterious-psychedelic-hallucinogenic-drug-of-them-all/

This is talking about a very specific person's experience, but the overarching themes of otherworldliness, geometric designs, breaking down, etc, can be applied to any one person's experience in a different way. 

Another good research would be the Wiki page on DMT, or really just personal posts on things like Reddit. According to the Wiki, there are some key common experiences:

• Rapid Onset and Intensity: The experience begins almost instantly, with effects hitting intensely, leading to a "breakthrough" experience where the user feels they have entered a different dimension.
• Vivid Visuals: Users frequently report seeing rapidly shifting, complex, high-definition, and often neon-colored, geometric patterns, fractals, and kaleidoscopic imagery.
• Entity Encounters: A highly common report is encountering seemingly autonomous entities (often referred to as "machine elves," "jesters," or alien beings).
• Ego Dissolution: A profound feeling of losing one's sense of self, identity, and ego, often resulting in a feeling of oneness with the universe or total detachment from reality.
• Space/Time Distortion: Users often feel they have left their physical body and surroundings, entering a different, often 4D or higher-dimensional, space where time has no meaning.
• Emotional Intensity: Experiences range from profound feelings of love, awe, and euphoria to intense fear, terror, or overwhelming confusion. 

DMT is known for being a very short-acting, powerful psychedelic, sometimes referred to as the "businessman's trip" due to its quick duration. 

The last phrase has given me a lot of ideas on how I physically want the animation to look, using the "businessman" as a visual metaphor for who may take the drug (someone who is overwhelmed with common, humdrum and repetitive life). My next feat will be looking into storyboarding.